1167-1227

Mongol Conqueror

In 1206, the nomadic Mongol tribes of northern Central Asia united for the first time, and chose as their leader a chieftain, nearly 40 years old, by the name of Temujin. Long before, he had been given the title by which history knows him: Genghis Khan, or "rightful ruler"; now his compatriots declared him "ruler of all men." During the two decades that followed, Genghis would live up to that title, laying the foundations for the largest empire ever known.

According to legend, Temujin came into the world grasping a lump of clotted blood, a sign of the forcefulness and violence that would dominate his life. His father, a chieftain named Yesugei, was poisoned by Tatars, a rival nomadic group in the region, and thereafter Temujin's mother Ho'elun managed to keep her family alive only through sheer will and resourcefulness. As designated heir to Yesugei...